The Magic of the Cloud and the Muggles of Compliance

It has been well over a decade since VMware introduced the magical thing called a hypervisor. Not unlike some fictional charm, it deluded servers, floated them across clusters, and left everyone – myself included – in awe at the delicate dance they performed. Since then, great strides have been made in optimising virtual environments – and even shipping them elsewhere, to the so-called cloud.

The cloud is even more magical. All the same outcomes, but without seeing a spec of the work involved. Like IT house elves in the ether, cloud delivers applications and half (or more) of its users are barely aware it exists.

But, the issue that has long hung over the head of cloud is security – or more accurately, compliance requirements that mandate security behaviors and the boring task of tracking it all. Decidedly less magical or interesting, these rules seem to require a thorough evaluation of the IT kitchen space, ensuring vermin are absent, doors are locked, and inspection reports are posted prominently.

That, on its surface, runs counter to the magical illusion – a harsh light shining on the underpinnings.

But, let me propose another way of looking at it. It was not so long ago that we were all overjoyed by the sight of the house-elves of the hypervisor, happy to see their work. And, while we don’t want to feel burdened by the inspectors, if the operation is ship-shape, there’s very little to fear. So, maybe we see compliance not as the Debbie Downer of the cloud world – but rather as the Hermione Granger who exposes – and reminds us all – of the magic within.

In that scenario – the key is a tight cloud operation, with built in security, so the inspection is straightforward and easy to fulfill. The result is an on-demand peek behind the curtain into the whirling machine of cloud.

And, that is a magical sight to behold.

With the vCloud Air Network, it’s that easy. To learn more about the vCloud Air Network, visit vCloudAirNetwork.com.